


Hints of Pale

by VirtualNight



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Fantrolls, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-07 22:57:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirtualNight/pseuds/VirtualNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being followed around by a feral troll was not really all that bad. Tanore has grown to care for him despite his unexpected arrival. Uriale had made himself at home in their hive, much to Ananke's discomfort. This troll had rather violent tendencies, but assurances from his mate are sometimes able to quell his worries. Uriale seems to like her, if his insistence to keep her within sight much of the time was any indication. Perhaps something positive could come from his presence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hints of Pale

The leaves rustled overhead as Tanore moved on from a small patch of flowers. She looked up, a slight smile playing at her lips. “I thought you had gotten over following me like that.” No response came from the trees and she continued on, the occasional rustle and thump of the other troll moving through the branches trailing after. The thinning of the trees was the only reason he gave up and dropped to the ground, still making a point to stay several yards away. Uriale stopped suddenly when Tanore turned to look at him, his eyes flicking from her face, to her hands, and over the rest of her body in an attempt to predict her movements. She did not step toward him, only spoke to him, her eyes focused on his own.  
  
“Are you certain you would not like to simply walk next to me?”  
  
There was something about that eye contact that made him feel strangely. Though he never had interpreted it to be a challenge it always felt like she was invading his space somehow. It wasn’t and unpleasant feeling though. After a few moments she spoke again.  
  
“Well, you do not have to, of course. If you are uncomfortable being so close to me, feel free to keep your distance.” A particularly strong scowl overtook the violet-blood’s face and he grumbled quietly. Tanore shook her head, resisting the urge to chuckle at his reaction.  
  
“I was not implying that you are sensitive, I was merely trying to be considerate.” She resumed her walk, picking some plants here and there, putting them in her sylladex after looking them over a bit. The jade-blood kept an eye on Uriale, making sure he did not stray too far. She knew he could take care of himself, but she worried about him nonetheless.  
  
The odd troll studied his environment, trying to figure out what was so important about all of these strange looking things. He picked some of them, assessing their texture by rubbing them on his face and lips. There was nothing particularly special about them from his point of view.  
Uriale approached a dark green mass of vines the other had picked some flowers from and he tugged at it, ripping free some of the leaves and blooms. He was just about to repeat his exploratory process when she was in front of him, promptly seizing the plant matter from his grasp. He bared his teeth at her, grinding them in response to her unexpected interruption.  
  
“Calm yourself. These leaves are extremely poisonous. Just the smallest contact with your lips would leave you sick for weeks.” She looked down as a few drops of blood left jade speckles on the grass. Her hand had caught on his sharp gloves, leaving a nasty gash across a few of her fingers. There was moment or two of silence while Tanore inspected her wound. She did not seem upset, but Uriale felt responsible for it. His eyes flicked between her hand and face, and he broke the still air between them with a grunt. She had protected him, and he intended to show his gratitude somehow.  
  
The violet-blood leaned in and pulled her injured hand closer. Tanore did not show any signs of resistance, so he did not hesitate to run his tongue over her fingers, cleaning the blood from them carefully. When he was satisfied with his effort, he let go. Giving her hand an inelegant pat, he moved away again.  
“Well, thank you. You did not have to do that.” The tranquil troll recovered a length of cloth from her sylladex and wrapped the wound tightly. The sea-dweller’s brows furrowed, his eyes still lingering on her hand. Why she was not angry with him, he could not piece together. She confused him to no end with matter like these. The violet-blood’s gaze was on her face once more when that melodic voice caught his attention.  
  
“It will heal without a problem, you need not worry.” She continued on her way after giving a small nod to her companion.  
  
The rest of the excursion was relatively quiet, aside from Uriale’s attempts to catch a rather temperamental mouse-dragon lusus (which resulted in a singed nose and a temper tantrum). They had a comfortably silent walk through the tunnel leading to the more than spacious cavern that held the multiple-story hive.  
As they approached the door a tremulous chirping greeted them, large wings pulling both trolls into an embrace. Uriale was still not quite used to these displays of affection, so the impulse to stiffen at the contact was still strong. Warm, soft fur helped to ease him out of his discomfort, and he found himself pressing closer after a moment. When the lusus was satisfied with how long she had held her children she pulled away, large ears twitching to take in every sound around her. Uriale’s petulant protest of the lusus’ withdrawal echoed though the cavern and he attempted to cling to her. The attentive creature answered with a few sharp clicks then flopped down to the floor, allowing him to snuggle up close. Tanore smiled as a content rumble emanated from the feral sea-dweller’s throat. The sound of the hive’s door opening alerted Tanore to her mate’s presence. She turned to greet him, a gentle embrace shared and a drawn out kiss keeping him close.  
“You were out longer than usual. Is everything alright?” A hint of concern laced Ananke’s words. He had always been the worrying type, never allowing a day to pass without asking Tanore how she was feeling. It was one of those things Tanore could not truly understand, despite all of her insight into his thoughts and emotions.  
  
“Yes, just fine. A mishap or two, but nothing serious.” He caught sight of her bandaged hand and took it gently, laying a kiss on her knuckles. His eyes lingered on Uri for just a moment before returning to her.  
  
“I‘ll trust that to be true.”


End file.
